Candidate identity forms

Centres must verify the identity of all candidates taking CPC examinations and must be satisfied the candidate taking the examination is the person who is entered for it. All candidates must have completed the candidate identity form before sitting a CPC exam.

Once you have made entries, for each candidate:

Download a candidate identification form, which must be completed by each candidate

Use the original form to verify candidate identity at each CPC exam they take at your centre

Retain the original form in your centre for at least one year from the date of the last examination sat.

You must include the place of birth on the candidate identification form as otherwise the EC certificate, which CPC holders must have, cannot be issued.

Examination materials

Once you have made your entries, examination materials (including labels to send examination materials to OCR/the examiner) will be sent to you approximately ten days before the examination.

You must check the question paper packets and examination material carefully as soon as you receive them, and report any issues, e.g. insufficient or damaged packages, immediately to us.

Assessment material is highly confidential and it is the personal responsibility of the Head of Centre to ensure examination material is kept in the approved secure storage and security is maintained at all times.

You must keep a log for recording the receipt and movement of examination material.

For CPC, the secure room does not need to be 'solely assigned to exams', but the secure storage must meet all other security requirements.

Examination equipment

Centres must ensure candidates have or are provided with any equipment required to take the test, as well as for taking all reasonable steps to prevent candidates from having access to any unauthorised equipment or resources.

Candidates should only have access to items specified on the front page of the test paper, and must not have access to anything that could compromise the integrity of the test:

Candidates may take any printed or handwritten notes or books of their choice in to the examination. However, candidates must not share or exchange any materials during the examination. Candidates must not take into any examination notes or texts in any electronic format, or any electronic device (including iPads, e-readers, smart or mobile phones or laptops). Candidates may use a battery-operated non-programmable calculator.

The secure room for storage of examination materials does not have to be 'solely assigned to exams'.

All CPC exam venues must be inspected and approved by OCR before they are used as a CPC exam venue (an inspection fee will be charged for each venue).

All candidates must be entered for the exam by the test entry deadline for the exam session and entries must be made against the venue at which they are sitting the exam.

All candidates must complete a candidate identification form before sitting an exam.

Centres must provide OCR with copies of the candidate identification forms.

Invigilators must use the completed candidate identification form and the candidates’ photo ID to verify the candidates’ identity at the exam venue on the day of the exam.

CPC exams must start at the scheduled time.

Any candidate arriving after the start of the exam mustnot be allowed to enter the examination room or sit the examination.

Question papers must remain in their secure packets until 10 minutes before the exam starts when they are opened in the exam room.

Candidates can only leave the exam room after the appropriate time (see below).

All question papers (used or unused) must be returned to OCR (multiple choice) or the OCR examiner (case study). The question papers remain as 'live' examination materials until they are published on the OCR website.

Invigilators must understand the regulations, including what equipment is allowed in each examination and ensure candidates only take permitted items into the examination room.

Invigilators must visually check the candidate’s identity against the candidate identity form you have on file every time they sit an examination.

Multiple choice

Paper-based exams are scheduled to start at 10am and finish at 12 noon.

The multiple choice paper consists of 60 questions each worth 1 mark and has a notional pass mark of 42.

Candidates are allowed 2 hours to complete the examination; however, they may leave the examination room after 1 hour 15 minutes.

Depending on the number of candidates in the room, examination centres may find it less disruptive to allow one ‘exit time’, for example, over 1 hour 15 minutes or 1 hour 30 minutes.

Case study

Case study exams are scheduled to start at 1pm and finish at 3.15pm.

The case study assessment is a 60-mark paper and has a notional pass mark of 30.

It comprises a relevant scenario (as concise as possible), which is issued with the papers at the start of the examination.

The examination lasts for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Candidates may not leave until the end of this time.

Returning examination material to OCR

All examination material must be returned either on the day of the exam or the next working day after the exam. It must be held in the centre’s approved secure storage until it is returned.

Responsibility for the examination material remains with the centre until it is received by OCR.

Using the envelopes and address labels provided, you should send the following by a trackable method:

To OCR: Used and unused multiple choice question papers and answer sheets, together with the relevant invigilation certificate(s).

To your allocated OCR examiner(s): Used and unused case study scenarios and question/answer booklets, together with the relevant invigilation certificate(s).